OK, I have finished reading the Mueller report, and rereading critical sections. Key points:
- Known actions of Trump campaign members while welcoming Russian assistance, and not informing law enforcement, did not support accusations of criminal conspiracy between any Trump campaign members and Russia.
- There is a strong case against Trump for obstruction of justice. Absent DoJ guidelines on indictment of a sitting president, he would have been charged. Trump could be brought to justice either when his term as president ends, or by Congress exercising its constitutional powers.
Claiming the report exonerates Trump is ridiculous. William Barr (acting as a Trump defence lawyer, not like an Attorney General) has effectively invoked an insanity defence to the charges of obstruction of justice. He has said, basically, that Trump was enraged by what he viewed as the political damage from the Russia investigation, and lashed out irrationally, not because of anything he feared the investigation would reveal. I think this is absurd.
On the other hand, except that Barr should have requested permission to cite grand jury testimony, I think the redactions in Mueller's report seem reasonable, and no attempt has been made to bury the report. Barr seems to have honoured the assurances given to Congress during his confirmation hearings to make the report public.,